Christmas Eve Warm Fuzzies
by Dibsthe1
Summary: Gaz is feeling lonely on Christmas Eve until someone steps in with the remedy. A warm fuzzy Christmas family moment!


_(A/N) This is actually a review for several fics, quite a few in fact. However, I won't name any names because if I do I'll be certain to leave some out. _

_This one has Gaz in it, so it may not be to everyone's liking. If it's not to yours, I suggest you hit the Back Button and look for "Stille Nacht." _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim and I don't believe for a second that Gaz loves Dib. Some people believe she does, but some other people believe black cats are evil and bring bad luck. _

_This one is from the Ghost of Christmas Present, you could say. _

**Christmas Eve Warm Fuzzies**

Gaz sat on the couch playing Vampire Bloodsucking Piggies XVIII. Though it was Christmas Eve, the house was bare of any decorations.

With a final blast Gaz finished her game, and looked out the window. Yes, it was still snowing. She sighed, then glanced at the clock before beginning a new game; she wanted to see how much faster she could finish this one.

So this was how she'd be spending this Christmas too. Some Christmas.

The rest of the year, Gaz didn't need anybody but her father and made sure everyone knew it, but she did need someone just one night of the year, Christmas Eve. She didn't think one night out of the year was too much to ask for. However, her father was working harder than ever, keeping all those Christmas lights going, and Dib, well... if he wasn't trying to convince someone Zim was an alien, he was either watching Zim or trying to catch Zim. Yes, even at Christmas.

Suddenly the knob twisted and the door blew open. From the sound of the footsteps over the howling wind, Gaz knew that it was her brother. Would he finish off all the rest of the soda, leaving none of it for her, this time too? She had long since stopped saying anything to him about it. With no father home, he would shove or swat her aside if she dared to protest and then swagger away, belching and laughing.

It was taking him quite a while to close the door against the snow, so she turned her head to see what was holding him up. She saw he was dragging in something that was very big and dark green, and when she realized what it was, she could only stare in astonishment.

It was a tree, a real Christmas tree! Gaz's mouth dropped open with delight. She had never seen a real Christmas tree coming into this house before! Other people's trees were stupid, but that was only because she herself didn't have one.

Dib stopped dragging the tree long enough to slam the door shut. He set down a shopping bag looped over one arm. Then he took off his fogged up glasses and wiped them with a cloth from his pocket, and put them on again. Smiling at Gaz, he gestured to the tree. "Merry Christmas!" he exclaimed. Then he opened the shopping bag, and produced box after box of ornaments. After struggling a while to set up the tree, Dib invited Gaz to decorate it with him if she wanted.

They decorated the tree together. When their tree was as beautiful as they could get it, then Dib turned on the TV and found a channel playing Christmas carols. Then he said he had to get a few more things and headed out again in the snow and wind while Gaz relaxed in the warm house.

Before too long, Dib returned with some groceries. He had extra pop and cereal for Gaz, eggnog for himself (which he offered to Gaz first in case she wanted it) and on top of everything, a turkey pizza from Bloaty's! He opened the carton and gestured for her to take the first slice. Gaz could hardly believe it; he had NEVER let her take the first slice before!

Now he hung fresh peppermint candy canes all over the tree while Gaz enjoyed her pizza and watched.

When he was finished, Dib came over to the couch and asked if she minded if he sat down next to her. After he sat down, he pulled out of his pocket the most beautifully wrapped gift Gaz had ever seen.

The paper was purple, with skulls all over it. The ribbon was black, her favorite color. It must have been left over from Halloween; she gasped as she realized he had kept them for her all this time!

He offered it to her now, and said softly, "Do you want to open it now or wait until tomorrow morning? After all, we both know there is no Santa Claus... outside of our hearts, that is."

Gaz's breath caught in her throat; she could feel sparkly little tinglies breaking out all over her. Christmas magic was real after all, no doubt about it! She was certainly feeling it now.

Gaz had to wonder, though, could this really be Dib? Why was he acting like this? Was he planning to go away and leave her forever? Oh, no, he couldn't do that, not now, not when he was finally being so nice...

Once more now she noticed Dib holding out the exquisitely wrapped present. Her eyes stung and she looked away, but her sudden heavy sob said all she wanted to say.

A loud crack made the whole front of her face hurt. "Cut that out, you stupid ingrate!" Dib snapped. "I didn't do all this just so you'd blubber like a big baby! GEEZ I hate it when anybody CRIES when you'd think they'd be happy! It makes no sense at all! Now pull yourself together this second before I take this back to the store!"

Gaz wiped her dripping eyes and nose with her sleeve, and offered Dib a thin, watery smile to show him that everything was all right. She reached for her present, gratefully. Yes, this was Dib all right! And he loved her as much as ever; the slap in the face proved he did! And all those sparkly little tinglies were back; she could feel them! Or was that the stinging from the slap? Never mind, they were all one and the same! AAAAWWWWWW!

So much love and relief bubbled up in her heart, she now felt like KISSING him... but if she did he'd probably punch her lights out.

But that was okay; it was Christmas! She puckered up and braced for some more of her brother's Christmas Spirit.

The End

_(A/N) I've seen some wild excuses for Gaz's vicious, needless abuse of Dib, but the one that tops them all claims "love" is in there somehow. Gaz can go on a psychotic rampage and stop just short of murdering Dib, and it's "OMG she LOVES HIM!" _

_"Love"? It looks more like she loathes and despises the very thought of him and is just waiting for the smallest chance to express it. She sometimes manages less uncivilized behavior, but when her thuggish side starts coming out again she never tries very hard to hold it back. _

_Would everybody call it "love" quite as quickly if it was him backstabbing her with such insane, ugly double messages? Did anybody think it was just darling when Dib slapped her across the face here? _

_"He was an asshole"? THANK YOU. Gaz has done that and more, sometimes right after Dib had been nice TO HER. _

_If everyone else is allowed to call family abuse some sort of "love" (as long as it's Gaz doing it to DIB that is)..._

_then I'M allowed to show what that looks like from this side of it. _


End file.
